Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has declared war on the public service, sending in police to investigate the leaking of a cabinet document and demanding even more work from his bureaucrats.
The Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Terry Moran, has called in the Australian Federal Police to find who leaked cabinet documents containing advice opposing the Government's FuelWatch scheme.
Police confirmed last night they had received a formal brief on the matter.
It is understood many senior bureaucrats are frustrated not only at the heavy workload of the new Administration but with confusing and contradictory signals sent from the Prime Minister's Office.
There are claims ''chaos'' has descended upon various departments and ministerial and department staff are working from before 7am to past 10pm only for their work to be ignored amid a controlling environment.
There is also speculation the FuelWatch leak to Nine Network correspondent Laurie Oakes was in retaliation for departmental advice indicating that petrol prices would rise under the scheme and not fall being ignored.
The war on the public service comes as it was revealed yesterday that 800 jobs would be lost from the Department of Human Services as a result of the 3.25 per cent efficiency dividend cuts.
Mr Rudd made clear yesterday he had exonerated all his ministerial colleagues over the leak, making the public service his target.
He also acknowledged his 24/7 work ethic had already provoked deep hostility among many public servants, but pledged to ratchet up his demands.
''I understand that there has been some criticism around the edges that some public servants are finding the hours a bit much,'' he said as he announced legislation for FuelWatch, which was introduced into Parliament yesterday.
''Well, I suppose I've simply got news for the public service, there'll be more.''
Asked if he regretted not ''purging'' the service upon winning office, Mr Rudd said, ''This Government was elected with a clear-cut mandate. We intend to proceed with that. The work ethic of this Government will not decrease, it will increase.''
Mr Rudd sought to laugh-off the leak as part of ''the rock and roll'' of politics but said he was sure it had not come from a minister, a claim backed by Oakes yesterday.
Mr Rudd said, ''I'm absolutely confident''.
Community and Public Sector Union national secretary, Stephen Jones, said last night the concerns about workload and stress were not criticisms ''around the edges'' at all.
''There is a very high work ethic within the public service,'' he said. ''People are working very hard to deliver on the Government's long-term policy objectives; they just can't be expected to do the impossible.'' Public servants were prepared to work hard provided they were given the resources and staff to do what was expected of them.
''The only thing that they ask in return is that the job is do-able,'' Mr Jones said.
''Whatever the motivation for leaking the material, it was stupid.
''It's not something that we support.''
Public Service Commissioner Lynelle Briggs confirmed to a Senate Estimates committee this week that department secretaries and other public servants had raised concerns with her about heavy workloads in the face of the efficiency dividend cuts.
That level of efficiency gain is to be pursued for a year, before dropping to its previous level.
Mr Rudd had been warned by ACT Labor Senator Kate Lundy that the higher level must be a one-off, saying any continuation would lead to unacceptable levels of attrition at Canberra's national cultural institutions.
The blunt warning to his public servants came as Mr Rudd seized on new economic modelling to challenge the Opposition to support a nationwide FuelWatch scheme, which the Government rushed before Parliament yesterday.
Mr Rudd said the second round of analysis from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission removed any doubt about the scheme's effectiveness in decreasing petrol prices.
The commission's new analysis was unveiled only a day after a leaked cabinet document revealed the Government ignored multiple warnings from four senior departments that FuelWatch could lead to higher prices and compliance costs of up to $4000 for fuel retailers.
Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen said the new analysis and the immediate introduction into Parliament of legislation for FuelWatch was ''an important day for Australian motorists''.
The analysis found FuelWatch, which has been operating in Western Australia for a decade, cut average prices by 3.5c a litre on the high-price day of the week, by 0.7c on the lowest price day of the week and by 1.8c on the other five days.
The Opposition has pledged to cut fuel excise by 5c a litre.
It continued to oppose FuelWatch yesterday.
Leader Brendan Nelson moved the second censure motion of the week against the Government on the issue.
It was defeated on party lines.
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